After defeat
by Bkipper
Summary: The defeat of Cyclonia and the devlopment of tolerance and humanity all watched through the eyes of one talon and Storm Hawk alike.
1. Chapter 1: Prisoner

**Chapter one: I am a prisoner in my own country.**

It was different. To see a new flag waving over Cyclonia, but only for a few moments. We were led down into our own dungeons, the captive sky knights jeering at us for all the hatred we had shared when they were on the other side of those bars. My comrades were led away, and I was shoved into a cell. As my head met the stone floor, my helmet cracked in two, and with a gasp my deep ember red hair unwove and fell to the tops of my shoulders. The knights gasped as well, not expecting me to be a girl. I did not care, my forehead beginning to bleed from the helmets force on my skull. I kicked the helmet away to crack some more on the wall of my confinement. The cut was not deep at all, and stopped its trickle soon enough. But it stung. Stung bad. But the sting of defeat almost made this injury painless. The rest of my emblems were ripped off, and I threw my goggles off to hurl them out the small hole of a window, letting my brown eyes, another symbol of individuality they had taken from us, adjust to the dim light.

Days passed, and I did dare not meet the eyes of the Atmosian knights, keeping my own ones tipped to look out of the small window above me. It did not show much, but I knew where I was. A walkway ran below me, with a railing to prevent anyone from falling. Off in the distance, I could make out the form of the main tower of Cyclonia- or what was Cyclonia. The flagstaff, which my comrades and I had pledged to every morning under the piercing stare of our officer Ravess, no longer held the importance. Its flag was gone. Now flying proudly, triumphantly, almost in an obnoxious boastful way, was the flag of Atmosia. Under it was another. A new symbol, one I had never seen now fluttered in the crisp breeze. It was of a silver bird, its wings outstretched as if to soar. Although unknown, it was familiar. There were artifacts from a historical takeover made by the Dark Ace hanging in the corridors that resembled that flag. I remembered it now.

It was the flag of the Storm Hawks.

Still more days passed, and even if we knew we had been defeated, my comrades still shouted loyalty to Master Cyclonis. The promise of my loyalty was wearing thin, crushed by our defeat. Their shouts rang through the cells, and Sky Knights shouted back. One of my closest comrades, close enough to be called a friend, bellowed the motto of Cyclonia loud and proud. Another knight jeered back:

"Where's your master now, eh? Run off, I think. But you're still loyal eh? Too bad." His accent shone through before a grunt was heard, and I knew my friend had been kicked. I hoped Dunlin would swallow his pride soon.

"Of course, Aerrow. We'll find them soon. Some of the Burners recalled seeing them at the main tower." A woman's voice reached me, and my instinct was to peer over the sill and listen. Two people were walking along the walkway, the clouds billowing beneath them. The woman, or young woman, was dark-skinned and slender. Her navy hair was pronounced, framing her face. Her eyes, some exotic orange, were locked on the young man she was walking with. Her battle weapon was still gripped tightly in her hand.

"I would like to find them today. It was all anyone found. And it's here in Cyclonia." The male sighed, his red hair disheveled and messy. Aerrow...That was what the girl called him. His light skin contrasted sharply with hers, and his stronger build made her seem fragile to him. But what made me stop my analysis were his eyes. The glorious green color suited him so very well, giving him a character no one else could even come close to having. And the way they rested on his walking partner...oh I just knew what was happening. Dunlin's grey eyes did the same thing. "Piper," That was the young woman's name. "I can't believe..."

"It's over? Yeah, I know." The girl Piper said weakly to him. They disappeared around the corner, remaining silent for the rest of the winding walk. My excitement for the day was over, and I slouched against the wall. Who were they? Some Sky Knights, I guessed. But the symbols on their backs and armor made me think otherwise. Those two were part of the Storm Hawks. The new ones. I smiled dimly, recalling how rumor had spread about the Dark Ace's defeat by the Knight of that team. Then something hit me. That red haired teen...Aerrow. Was he the one who defeated our 'commander in chief'? But I had no way to know, for that short conversation had held nothing but titles.

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Alrighty! I got some new idea, and haven't tried this style of writing... you know, first person POV. But this is a short chapter, whose main character will not be revealed for a long time.


	2. Chapter 2: Idle Days

**Chapter two: Idle Days**

The days were nothing but sunrises and sunsets now. My mind had nothing to think of. Nothing at all. Except...memories. But those were things I didn't want to think of. Not with so many bad ones outweighing the good ones. So I focused on those Storm Hawks. They would've fit in with us, if we didn't know who they were. It was just an instinct. My instinct had saved me from suffering a torturous death like some of my comrades. The Piper girl had walked by a few sunrises ago with a wallop, the two arguing about whether to play a game called Keep-Away on the edge of the Terra. I hoped they, or anyone from that squadron, would walk by again, hoping they would enjoy that path like I had when this place was...our territory. There weren't many windows on that spot, so privacy was assured from many. I hadn't gotten much of that since the takeover. The Sky Knights were cruel to us, some even more cruel than our guards had been. Why did they get to win, those cruel, nasty knights? And I'm not just saying that because of what side I was on. I don't belong to a side now...And it has never been more confusing. My thoughts were thrown aside as a Storm Hawk's voice faintly murmured into my cell. I rushed to peer over the sill again.

There were two who were practically skipping down the walkway, which made me think that this conversation was going to be short. But the girl was lagging behind him, which constantly made him slow to turn back to her. I could only make out their silhouettes at that moment.

"I'm glad it's here! More than glad!" It was Aerrow speaking to someone. He was happy and excited, almost letting relief flood his light laugh. As their details became recognizable, Piper, I found, was the girl with him. She was smiling broadly. "My dad's skimmer pieces, the ship's original emblem!" So...I thought... It was the relics they were after! "I feel happy and sad at the same time." His sentence died halfway, and I could tell by the way his face fell that something troubled him. But Piper got to him quickly, standing beside him now.

"You still miss your father, don't you Aerrow?" She asked gently, her eyes just catching the rays of another sunset. They were right under me, and I took in their details as if I'd never see them again. Her eyes were light and beautiful, perfectly fitting into her face and matching her headband. Her navy hair was dark and looked soft, some strands glistening a tan orange in the sun. Her hands folded in front of her as she tipped her face forward and around to try to meet his eyes. I couldn't see his bright green eyes, but his pale skin contrasted even more with hers now that they stood close. His red hair was different shades of ruby because of the sun, and he was taller than her by a few inches.

"Yeah..." He finally answered to her. I seemed to hang on his words like the girl did, and we both jumped when his head snapped back to look her straight in the eyes like she had wanted. "Piper?"

"Hmm?" Her answer was brisk and light, my ears barely catching it. They stopped moving, waiting for Aerrow's response. Even he seemed to hold his breath.

"YO! AERROW! PIPER! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!" A male's voice startled all three of us, the two squadron members jumping away from one another to the acceptable distance. The shouter flew around the corner, his blond hair practically white in the sunset. Piper looked annoyed, and I smiled. I remembered giving those looks to my comrade Willet now and then, his prankster ways getting even the best of us. They way the blond walked made me think that he was always full of energy, and his rich blue eyes shone against his light skin. He was not as tall or light as Aerrow, but still had his own characteristics that made him who he was.

"FINN!" A new name; I rejoiced! "You're gonna alert everyone on this terra if you don't shut up!" Piper ended in a scowl, the Finn boy shrugging her anger off, which only made her more agitated. She had short temper apparently.

"Well Stork wanted to know where you guys were!" He defended himself. "He said that you might get picked off by some flying fish or something..." Finn trailed off, trying to recall what this Stork guy really said. His effort lasted for a moment. "I gotta go find Junko now!" He left then, rounding the corner with a shout of: "JUNKO?!"

I turned back to the pair, seeing Piper's eyes loose their angry energy. Aerrow sheepishly smiled to her, and she broke a smile herself. The mood relaxed and I cautiously watched them make their way around the corner. I prepared to pull back into my cell, but one more sentence by Piper caught my attention.

"After you, sky knight." She offered to him, and I saw him take the lead as they disappeared.

I WAS right. He WAS the sky knight who had defeated the Dark Ace! It came as a small surprise, as he seemed like the kind of guy who would be able to withstand our commander's tactics. I would've been more surprised if the girl was the sky knight. I looked down, my shadow disappearing as the sun faded past the clouds.

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The next chapter will be longer, I swear! I hope you enjoyed! :D


	3. Chapter 3: Remembrance

**Chapter three- Remembrance **

Someone in our cell unit had developed a cough. A terrible cough. It echoed against the walls in a horrible way, signaling the ghastly condition the person's lungs were in. The knights did nothing and eventually a few days later, at the very break of the sun, a body was carried out of our unit. His light blue hair told me who he was; my dear friend Cooper. He was the only one who had stuck with me when we first joined, when we first had boot camp. I remembered his face:

"_Cooper...what's Snipe gonna say? Or Ravess?"_

"_Come on, just go with it!" He assured with his dark blue eyes full of assertion. I was unsure, shifting the pack on my back with a weird frown set on my face. "What are they gonna do? They told us to finish at any means possible." His comment made me crack a grin; he was always good at finding loopholes. _

_The next thing I knew, the others were ducking and yelling at us for cheating. Cooper laughed merrily with a hint of deviousness. I laughed along, waving goodbye to my fellow comrades. He had found some giant laves on the terra, and used them to slide down the rest of the trail while the others hiked. My goggles shielded my eyes from stray branches. He was ahead and shouted out my name._

"_What's a matter? Too slow?!" _

_That peaked my interest, for I always was and had been a competitive person. My ember hair whipped my neck as I leaned forwards, letting the wind curve over my head. It would've been better with a helmet (which he had). I was just about to pass him when he dug his feet into the ground in front of him, blue eyes wide and frightful. I turned and expected to see Snipe trying to shield himself from us, or Ravess gasping to dive out of our way. But the way Cooper's eyes had widened made me think otherwise, and after I looked forward, had every reason to believe so. My heels gripped the dirt, trialing long dust rivers behind me just like Coopers feet. I slowed to a frenzied stop at the feet: Of the Dark Ace. His red eyes were frightening to me, and Cooper frantically stumbled out of his own leaf which was about five feet in front of me and our commander. _

"_Sir, sir, forgive me...I convinced her to do it! I'm sor-" His babblings were cut off. _

"_I came to inspect the new talons of Cyclonia. And by what I've seen," He glared down to me, my twelve year old body trembling. "They are- resourceful. But not disciplined." He turned on his heel, his brass headband bringing down a ray of sunlight into my eyes. Cooper knelt by my side, protecting me as if I was his sister. I always accepted it; he was fourteen and I was twelve. It felt natural. _

"_For a second there, I thought we were mince meat, V." He said with a laugh, his cocky smile back. I shook my head good-naturedly, smiling back._

As the memory ended, I remembered what the Dark Ace had said to me and Cooper. It was the only complement I had gotten since. It had been just about two or three years ago when that happened; and lots had changed. The first smile ever since capture burst onto my face. But another sound of the door closing behind the body of the remembered Cooper wiped it clean off.

My heart became heavier as the next two days passed, and the bitterness between us and the Sky Knights worsened. The very morning before I had simply asked what day it was to one of the knights. Maybe I should've chosen a small female instead of a huge lumbering red and orange haired man. His verbal response was cold and quick:

"What's it to ya, Cyclonian scum?"

His physical response was just as quick. My hand, which had been gripping one of the bars next to my leaned out face, was swiftly and sharply cut by his spear, nicking the skin just under my lip deeply. The cut on my hand was promptly quelled under a strip of one of my cloth emblems, but the cut under my lip refused to subside until a while later.

The window was my light and feeble hope. The hope that the world would change again soon like it had weeks ago. But with Cooper's death still heavy on my shoulders, and Dunlin and Willet no where to be seen, it was sure to last me only a few more weeks. Another murmur of conversation by the familiar squadron gave me something to think about.

"Aerrow, you know that Finn's not gonna listen!" Piper's sharp plead went on deaf ears.

"Finn's highly capable of things, you know." Aerrow kept his head high, a smirk plastered to his face. Piper smirked as well.

"He's listening, isn't he?" She laughed with him, Finn creeping out from behind them; nearly making me jump out of my skin. He gave an agitated sigh and stalked off, murmuring to himself.

"So what did you really want to say?" Piper asked a bit quieter, Aerrow nudging her hand with his. Well, it looked like it. But I could've been wrong. I mean they were walking with a bit of a bounce.

"Well, Finn's the only one who's not busy. Junko's on guard duty, Stork's confined in the _Condor_, and you and I are..." He trailed off, giving a sigh of his own.

"Busy with the council meetings." Piper finished for him. "And Finn's been lazy lately, so giving the bridge a good scrub will help." Piper gave him a light smile, their hands swinging together and apart at the same time now, finger curled as if to try and hook the other's hand. "Unless he forgets the good mop, like I said!"

Aerrow forced a light laugh with her, and as they rounded the corner I could just make out the last sentence.

"These council meetings get worse and worse as the weeks go on..." Aerrow huffed.

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Longer chapter! I promised!


	4. Chapter 4: Intolerance

**Chapter four- Intolerance**

No one, and I mean no one, talked to the knights in a polite, gentle way. All the Talons in their cells hissed responses as if the Atmosian people were evil. I said nothing to them, keeping my eyes far away from theirs to avoid confrontation. Or consequences.

But nevertheless, some instigated a fight with us, and some of us were left with wounds that would soon be lost to infection. We knew this, yet the still loyal talons did not let disease stop them from claiming loyalty at any chance. One of the faithful ones was Dunlin, a close friend of mine. I had had few friends, and hoped that more than just Dunlin had survived. He had taken a liking to me a while ago, flirting with me behind Snipe's back, which was an easy thing to do. I showed interest, but my feelings were crushed after the defeat. His hadn't, I guessed, just because that's the king of guy he is. He was now just as important to me as Willet or the other people I cared for, and the thought of seeing him and Willet again as a free person was one of my slim hopes. However, his fiery spirit and sharp tongue kept my hopes on eggshells.

"Down with Atmos!" Dunlin's cry was still ringing in my ears when he shouted to a male sky knight who had just told him his lunch was here. Various shouts of 'Shut up!' and 'Zip it, talon!' followed. I pushed forward a little, my eyes just able to see Dunlin and the knight. The knight dropped Dunlin's lunch, the slop of whatever they were feeding us now at his feet. His green hair was back in a ponytail, and his dark eyes glinted with anger and amusement.

"Don't start, Talon!" He warned, the keys at his belt shining momentarily in a patch of sun. I sucked in a breath, seeing Dunlin emerge from the shadows of his cell. His grey eyes looked hollow, yet held that feeble strength of loyalty I knew meant nothing here. He did not head the knight's warning, to my dismay.

"Cyclonia's coming back, you dumb a-" Dunlin's face was close to being cut off as the Sky Knight's blade was blocked by the cell bars, the heat surprising my friend. A light burn decorated the tip of his nose, but he continued to shout profanity at the clearly bigger man. I had my face barely peeking over the edge of my stone cell, and as the knight fumbled for the keys, I used all my willpower to keep from crying out. He whipped open Dunlin's door and stepped inside, Dunlin disappearing into the darkness. A couple more knights swarmed around, making sure that Dunlin wouldn't escape. I head his grunts and little cries of pain, and I turned the other way, staring at the opposite wall. A loud crash, ping, crunch, and cheer forced me to look back. Apparently, the knight had hurled him out of the cell, making him crash against the cell bars on the other side of the aisle. The few others that were there landed swift kicks to his side as the green haired knight presumed his fight with Dunlin. I said nothing, anxiously watching the man beat my friend senseless.

"Down with Atmos!" He weakly cried between hits. "Cyclonia forever!" Another kick. My breath left my lungs when I saw the knight grab for his crystal sword, pulling it out of the holder. I knew what he was going to do. I trembled, fighting back tears. I screamed.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Their attention shifted dramatically, the closest one striding to me. He leaned at my cell, and I tried to retreat. He flung my door aside, and got a good hold of my hair, holding me up so high my feet could not hit the ground. My scalp was erupting in sharp, endless pain. Dunlin was caught under the knight, his grey eyes lost in the bruises on his face.

"Still loyal like this one, eh?" He mocked, his friends laughing as well. I was tired of my old alliance.

"No." I scowled, surprising them. Dunlin's eyes went wide, and I realized what I had just said. Disappointment, disgust, and hate began to swell in his beaten face.

"Really?" The green haired knight lifted Dunlin up, noticing my friend's scornful glance to me. "Well gentlemen, it appears to be true. Even this Talon seems to be surprised." He shook Dunlin. "Maybe we should let them figure out how loyal a talon should be."

_No...Oh no... Please._ They were going to make us fight.

"What are you doing?" An accented voice filtered through my ringing ears. It was a younger woman, her purple hair short and olive eyes glaring at the lot of us. "Put them down. The council wouldn't like it, you know." She crossed her arms, looking at me and Dunlin with the very, very, _very_ slightest hint of sympathy. It shocked me.

My arm took the fall this time, the shoulder armor I had kept keeping my joints together. My cell door slammed behind me, the rowdy group of knights grumbling about their ended fun. I scampered for the far corner like a frightened rabbit, huddling against the cool stone wall. After my fears subsided, my head dropped into my hands, circled around my knees. I cried. I cried not for my friend's pain, not for my fear, but my loss. I had lost Dunlin, all because I had lost my loyalty. So I cried, the sunlight from my window not able to comfort me.

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The next chapter will be more, if not all, about the Storm Hawks. I just wanted to run a little bit with the intolerance issue in this war.


	5. Chapter 5: Similarities

**Chapter five: Similarities **

Apparently I had fallen asleep after my crying because when I woke, the late afternoon sun had faded into velvet darkness. The stars twittered in the sky in a merry fashion as I hoisted myself to the window sill. I wondered how perhaps those stars were suns for other planets with people like me and my fellow ex-talons. My sleep schedule was now thrown off, but it really didn't matter to me...I had no where to be tomorrow, or anything to do. Today had been hot, which, I figured, had made the knights and talons so bitter to one another. But the night had brought rest to the sun as well as a cool, lulling breeze. If I hadn't just woken, I would've been drifting to sleep. It reminded me of my days at the Talon academy, when we were told to sleep outside during the summer. It had been nice...

"_What do you think is making that noise?" Willet turned his dark green eyes to me; the ten year old worried about a chirping noise from the nearby tree line, all the other talons asleep._

"_It's probably the wasteland monsters comin' up for a snack. It's a good thing we're all too big for them to eat...Oh wait, Willet... you look just the right size for them." Dunlin teased, him and Cooper laughing at Willet's scared expression. _

"_Dunlin, grow up! For the sake of Cyclonis..." I bitterly sighed at my friends, who rolled their eyes at my scolding. "Willet, it's nothing. It's just a type of bug. It's called a field-jumper. They're green and have long legs which they rub together. That's what the sound is." I tried to explain to him, but in spite of his weak smile, I knew he was shaken still. _

"_Clear night tonight." Cooper commented as we all leaned back on our mats to acknowledge his discovery. My blue haired friend was more than correct; there wasn't a cloud in the sky. "Any one know any constellations?" _

"_What are they?" Dunlin asked, my other friend not familiar with cultural or historical symbols. _

"_Pictures that the stars make." Willet answered for him, Cooper giving that analogy a thought. _

"_Kind of...They are pictures, but they're of people and monsters. Of myths and legends. And old stories fed by history." Cooper added, turning to me. My brown eyes shifted to my right to met him, and we smiled. We knew many, many, constellations._

"_Well? Where are they?" Dunlin became impatient. I picked up my hand, index finger pointed high. I then outlined a pot from the tip of the brightest star in the sky. _

"_That's the big dipper. The handle starts at the North Star, or Polaris." I brushed my ember bangs from my eyes, the breeze lifting them across my face. _

"_The brightest star in all of Atmos?" Willet was confirming a thought with us, and I nodded._

"_Pilots use it to navigate. It always points out the position of the direction north. Always." Cooper assured, the four of us in silence, enjoying the sky and each other's company. _

"_Are there any others?" Dunlin asked. _

"_Tons." Cooper replied. _

I smiled, happy that my memories were fresh and sharp. We had spent the rest of the night pointing out stars for Willet and Dunlin. It was one of the most peaceful nights I had experienced at that academy.

"Aerrow?" Someone uttered, making me snap my head down to the walkway below. Piper and Aerrow were leaning on the railing, simply enjoying the night as I was. Her hair waved in the night air like mine, her orange eyes bright in the dark.

"Hmm?" He simply recognized her question.

"D-Do you remember when we'd climb up on the roof of the _Condor_ to look at these kinds of stars?" Asked Piper, her eyes now on him. He turned to her, smiling.

"Yeah. Junko always fell asleep when ever the whole team was up there." Aerrow laughed while leaning back to stretch. I noticed a blue animal near his side, making small chirping noises with the conversation. It had long fuzzy blue ears and yellow eyes, with feet and hands matching in structure. It resembled a rabbit, monkey, and a dog. It was quite the peculiar little thing. "You fell asleep too, Radarr." Aerrow commented, the animal now dubbed 'Radarr' pouting in response. It apparently was smarter than I thought. Piper let out a small chuckle.

"But it was annoying how we had to explain **every single** constellation to Finn! He forgot **every **time!" As she referred to the blonde member of their team, her tone changed to annoyance. It reminded me of how I'd talk to Dunlin sometimes.

"And Stork always worried about noises!" Aerrow added. "Wh-What's that!? Is it mind worms?! We should all get tested!" Aerrow good-naturedly poked fun at their Stork friend, Piper struggling to hold back a laugh. Radarr leapt onto Aerrow's shoulder, the red head turning his way. I caught sight of the sky knight's face again, and marveled at his eyes. They were just so full of happiness, dashing back and forth between his pet and the girl.

"I liked it with just us sometimes." Piper commented quietly, almost afraid to say more. His blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his neck as Radarr gave a look to Piper and back to Aerrow, making him flush darker. "Nice and quiet." A blush accompanied her statement.

"Like right now?" He simply remarked.

"Yeah..." Piper smiled, the two silent. The abrupt roar of skimmers blared in my ears, making me cover them in response. Piper and Aerrow did the same, Radarr wrapping his ears around his head. Three light silver and yellow skimmers flew above the tower, my hair whipping my face as their engines blasted air and heat around them. I had to move back into my cell in order to stay in the shadows if the two Storm Hawks were to look back. When the three skimmers became nothing more than specks in the air and their noises were just hums in the night sounds, I rose again.

"Rex Guardians?" Aerrow commented, Piper nodding as she fixed her now windblown hair. I had to force a grin; both of their hairstyles were wind swept, messy, and ruffled. Piper seemed to notice as well, and bit her lip as a smile grew on her mocha face. "What?" He questioned, Radarr snickering along.

"Nothing." Piper chuckled as she finished with her hair, removing the hair band to replace it in her navy locks. I guessed that Aerrow silently had persuaded her, because she then confessed: "Your hair."

He put a hand to his now wild mane, the red tresses in a messy mop. Radarr leapt off to settle on the walkway as Aerrow continued to only worsen his hair. Piper shook her head with another grin, letting him slowly work out his problem.

"So, what do we have to do tomorrow?" Piper finally fixed her headband, Aerrow finally removing his eyes from her.

"Another council meeting, if that's what you wanted to hear." Aerrow leaned against the railing again, Piper and Radarr joining him.

"What are we discussing this time? And who's getting left out?" Piper questioned.

"Well, the Rex Guardians are finally here..." Aerrow stressed the word finally. "So one team's gonna get the boot, I guess." He shrugged, Radarr settling on his shoulders once more.

"D-Do you think they'll find Cyclonis?"

"I don't know... I wanna go out and join that search party though." Aerrow bitterly stated.

"I wouldn't doubt something like that from you, Aerrow." Piper said, lightly smiling at her team mate. "Hey, I'm gonna go back to the _Condor._ I think I'll need some sleep for tomorrow's debates and disagreements...You coming?"

"I'll catch up." He said, letting her go. Once she rounded the corner, his head slumped and his red hair caught the moon's light, making the shades of bright red turn into a silvery white. "What is wrong with this world?" Aerrow sighed, Radarr giving a short, confused whine.

"Lots." I murmured gently. But it was loud enough, as Radarr's ears pricked up and the creature shifted his big yellow eyes in my direction. I dropped to my knees, hugging the wall as my heart beat worriedly.

"What is it, Radarr?" Aerrow asked his now growling friend. He apparently looked around, because he then added: "There's no one there. Come on, let's go." I heard his boots clack against the walkway, letting the sound fade around the bend of the tower. _Close one..._I thought, remembering how many times Cooper would say such a thing.


	6. Chapter 6: Loneliness

Hey! Long time, no see! I'm back, alive and writing. Even though this chapter is short, I decided that the first story I would update after my long time away would be this one. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for sticking with this story. Reading all of your reviews gave me even more reason to update this first, to tell the truth!

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**Chapter Six**: Loneliness

Faith may truly be invisible, as none of us can even see it in sight. Unfortunately, I don't believe even that could lift us from our sorrows here. I always seem to talk in such a 'we' manner, as if I had become part of a new side. If only I knew that side's name…

To even have a side is confusing. To be a part of something so big is sometimes a downfall; with so many on your 'side', you may be forgotten. I think that conclusion is drawn on my own experiences as a Talon. Bitter as my thoughts are about such a nation, I seem to see some reasons why we fell into Cyclonia's army. It was all just false hopes and dreams, as if Master Cyclonis herself would meet and appreciate us all…

My window has now become nothing but a nuisance. An endless rainstorm, which has the sky knights reeling in disbelief, has let water pour into my cell, and only one side of my stronghold is dry. But I have come to slightly enjoy watching the knights baffled expressions as they glance to a window, muttering about all this relentless rain and thunder. It almost makes me want to laugh, but I know that if I did, the sound would be acidic, sour, and gawked upon. These storms are quite common, as this country experiences such rain every month or so. I never had minded the rain before, but that was when I had the ability to get dry and warm. Such a luxury is something to dream about.

Some of the knights have lost their malice, to my relief. The three who had nearly killed Dunlin were still in 'high spirits' though, the three of them harassing us verbally. Their insults fly blankly over my shoulders, and my expression glazes over as to not give them any hint to what I would say or do.

If my thoughts have become repetitive, forgive me, dear brain, as there is nothing more to converse about. Idle days probably became weeks already, but time is no longer something I am a slave to.

A smile could've crept onto my face as I realized how I was no longer a slave to Cyclonia, but it disappeared when I found that it was my alliance that got me here. I was not dragged into service, not forced to sign my name to their draft… But still, my options had been limited, if not chosen, for me.

Without my helmet or goggles, I felt smaller. I felt alone, independent where I had become dependent. I was not part of something bigger anymore, and due to that I felt alone. Support wasn't behind me, fate was not in my control, and destiny had long given up on all of us. Perhaps destiny only works for those who fight with a better cause, or for those who just fight better.

"**I'M** GOING!" A voice called out into the crashing of the rain, and I was tempted to turn to my gutter of a windowsill. With nothing else to do, and no where else to be, my temptation won. A red haired figured flew down the path below me.

"BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO BE THERE TODAY, AERROW!" Piper's call echoed back at Aerrow, the two rushing down the walkway as fast as possible without slipping.

"THEY'RE NOT GONNA LISTEN TO US, MAN!" Their blond team member was attempting to pursue, his name lost in my mind. His scrawny arms were no match for the pounding rain drops, all the water pouring down his shoulders. Aerrow had long left them behind, Piper floundering for the words that would bring him back.

The two squad members stood in the cold, harsh rain as thunder deeply laughed down on them. Lightning followed afterward from another cloud, its cracking cackle ripping the air apart. Piper's hair was stuck to her small shoulders, the girl letting rain drench her. Finn, whose name I now recalled, still kept his arms wrapped above his head as he murmured something to his friend.

Even though they stood weakly next to one another, their allegiance and company strong, they were alone. Alone under the numerous rain drops, all linked by their common goal to purge the earth.

Finn trudged away first, his grumbles getting louder before he yelled down the way: "DON'T WORRY ABOUT US, WE'LL FIND OUR WAY BACK, MR. HERO!!"

"FINN!" Piper's stinging response quelled him, but he continued to walk heavily out of my view. She remained, her lone form almost fading in my eyes as I kept staring into the rush of the downpour. Numerous attempts at blinking followed, the water drops now lacing my eyelashes. The way she clutched her hands in front of her left such a humble, downtrodden shape to her. It made my lips clench into a hard line, and I was almost appalled at how she could express such hopeless pain.

Such hopeless, lonely, pain.

A pain I had just remembered sharing.


	7. Chapter 7: Loneliness Part 2

Holy Atmos! Two updates in about a week, that's absurd! Actually, I found this chapter in the depths of my laptop while writing an essay for Catcher in the Rye… It just happened to have the same title as the last chapter for some reason… (Oh, and btw, thank you guys for your reviews!)

**Chapter 7- Loneliness (part 2)**

Companions were impossible to find within these prison walls, yet nature held small hints that it hadn't forgotten about some of us. It allowed us to repent like no other religion permitted. With the month long rain gone, our terra revived itself. The early spring winds stirred upon my face, caressing me like a lover, with the promise that the months would soon turn hot and raise its own appreciation even more. Birds swooped up and down without the mechanical churn of the skimmer's gears, their natural wings gliding upon the caressing wind. Some feathers drifted off their feeble wings to be scattered across from the tops of the towers to the depths of the wastelands. Clouds rolled and lurched gradually below, their lines skimmed by the oppressive sun, and their underbellies glinting once in a while to reflect a lava God's eruption beneath. The endless hum and howl of the wind reminded me that there would be endless silence without it, and only brought on the burning ache of loneliness from within my heart. Loneliness was not at all uncommon to me.

That burning, lurching feeling that corrupted even the best of minds was embedded not only into my soul, but into the hearts of many more. Or at least that's what I speculated. My childhood had withered like a flower, without the nourishment of love, now an emotion I could not understood. The burning of my home by Atmosian forces did not leave a toll upon my life like it had to most of the talons here, but only what came afterward. Cyclonian forces had found me, recruited me, trained me, and thrust me into battle with the oppressive coldness and hatred a fire could cause.

Somehow, someway, my mind did not allow me to blame the now concurring forces of Atmos. They were fighting for what they believed was right, and did everything we had done to win… even if their council caught no wind of it. They destroyed, they betrayed, and most of all, they were indifferent to us like we were to them. Another blank face dawned with goggles and a spear… Or, on our account, another person with a skimmer and a bird insignia.

The loneliness out in the world was dreadfully alive and well. But in here, it became repressive and threatened to crush our souls beneath it. The young man across from me went mad a week ago and now sits with his back to me, rocking back and forth and conversing with the stone wall. His hope of existence had long left him and become useless, and now sanity was useless as well. I forbid myself to believe it, and until the moment I would ever Willet's dead body myself, I kept hoping for his future. A future none of us but a few had left. Willet was one of those choice few.

"It's getting warmer today." The orange orbed young woman commented, simply enjoying the factor of nature I cherished with my life. My windowsill was once again where I rested; the walkway their settled place.

"Yeah, soon it will be warm enough to tan… according to Finn." Said Aerrow, who smiled down at her. Piper shivered suddenly, as if nature had fooled with her senses just moments before. "You alright?" His concern was aroused, and the way his green eyes and face sharpened took my breath away. His emotion was powerful when regarding to her. The wind stirred their hair, the girl rubbing the bare portion of her arms with her gloved digits. They stopped walking forward, and the angle at which they now stood let me study their faces when they conversed.

"It just got chilly again." Piper chuckled in spite of herself, Aerrow smiling back again. She glanced back up to him when he was suddenly studying the rows of curdling clouds under them like I had. "When do you think it'll get better?"

"Well, it's almost the middle of spring, so about another month or so. I mean-"

"I wasn't talking about the weather, Aerrow." Her correction caught him off guard as his eye brows disappeared behind his bangs. I wanted to laugh at his surprise, but the look she returned to him wiped the cheer from my mind. "I need to tell you something."

"Sure. Anything." Assurance from him seemed to lighten her hesitation, but the weight of… something still hung upon her small but strong shoulders.

"Yesterday, Starling asked me if I would… Since one of our men got the flu…" Piper dragged out the sentence, but the boy hung on her words still. It made me want to laugh again… All this energy directed to her!

"She wants me to help guard the talons." Her final words startled me, as I would now see her every day, even if it was for a second or two. Aerrow's head shook, no twitched, a little when the realization hit him like a brick. I was too surprised to notice, let alone chuckle.

"You?" The young man pushed the word from his lips. "She wants you to go guard those sick, infected talons for Atmos knows how long?"

"No… just until that other guard gets better." Piper almost picked up a tone of triteness, but held it back. "And to be honest, I'd rather be doing that instead of all of these meetings… The decisions the council is making are outrageous and biased, as if they've forgotten what reconstruction is!"

Piper's sentence hung in the air like a lazy summer breeze, and her face was far turned away from him. Aerrow looked like one of our fellow talons, Robin, who had a magnificent poker face. The poor sky knight seemed to be gambling for his next words, as if the choice would either drive her away or keep her with him.

"As much as I hate to say it…" Aerrow's voice caught her face and turned it on him, "Guarding those talons does sound much easier."

_He obviously hasn't met Dunlin… _


End file.
